Shades of Gray
by AirElemental101
Summary: Things go differently for Harry at Hogwarts and a twist of fate and magic at the end of 4th year sends Harry into a world different yet similar to his own.  He's found the 'Power he knows not' but will he ever return to use it?  Should he use it at all?
1. Chapter 1

Ok, so just for the hell of it I've decided to load this and a couple other things I've been working on up here. This is not a promise of regular updates or even of a continuation. Life is a fickle and changing thing and I may or may not have time to update this or the others, but I write for each as I have time and inspiration. I hope you enjoy what I have so far, and hopefully I'll get around to writing/uploading more in the future.

Disclaimer: I own neither The Black Magician Trilogy nor Harry Potter and anything familiar and related to either.

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"Professor Quirrel… he's dead, isn't he?"

"…yes."

He had killed someone. It hadn't been said, but Harry had seen what his touch did to the man. In fact, he had latched himself to the man's face for that very reason. At the time he hadn't really given much thought to what that would mean. But now he felt the uncomfortable weight of the knowledge that even though it had certainly been in self-defense, his hands were stained…

He had taken a life.

"Professor Dumbledore…"

"Yes, Harry?"

Harry fidgeted with the blankets that covered his bed in the hospital wing. He had just recently woken up from his ordeal in the fight for the Philosopher's Stone, and while he desperately wanted answers to his many questions—most of which Dumbledore had answered straight forwardly—he found himself wary of asking this one question. If indeed Dumbledore would or could answer it at all…

"That night ten years ago… even though my parents were some of those fighting against him, Voldemort said that my mum need not have died… that she died protecting me. He didn't attack us that night to kill my parents. He attacked us to kill _me_. My question is—why _me_?"

For a moment, Harry didn't think Dumbledore would answer. The elder wizard sat at Harry's bedside, staring pensively into vivid green eyes for many moments.

"I believe you have a right to know that answer… but before I can tell you that, you must do something."

"What?" asked Harry.

"Though they are few and far between, some wizards are capable of penetrating another's mind with their own in order to seek out knowledge and memories. In turn, there is an art of magic involving barriers in the mind that can protect against such intrusions. This art is called Occlumency. Before I can safely give you the knowledge you seek, you must first be able to defend yourself using such fortifications. Learn this art—be able to repel others from your mind and guard your secrets well—and I will give you your answer."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Ah, Harry… back again so soon?"

Indeed, it had been but only a few days ago that Harry had stood in this very spot covered in blood and ink after the climactic confrontation in the Chamber of Secrets against the memory of Tom Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort. But after all the progress he had made that year, and the revelations down in the Chamber—

"I'm ready Professor… for the truth… about Voldemort and I and that Halloween night 11 years ago."

With Hermione's help and Gildroy Lockheart's signed passes into the restricted section this year, Harry had found several books detailing the finer points of the arts of legilimancy and occlumancy. They had poured over each book with references on hand to clarify any terms unknown to them. And finally, a year after the assignment, he felt he was ready.

He felt a tentative presence in his mind attempting to slide through his barriers into his memories but each time it tried, he swatted it away. Finally, the vague probe turned into a rush of force and Harry threw up his carefully constructed barriers completely. It felt like a mallet hitting a gong, and Harry flinched back from the mental force, but the defenses held.

"Incredible job, Harry! A true testament to your hard work! I've hardly seen such amazing barriers in recent years, let alone in one so young! To survive an attack of such force with not so much as a crack…"

"Then please, sir…"

A pause.

"Very well. The truth."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

'_The one with the Power to vanquish the Dark Lord Approaches…'_

'…_he will have Power the Dark Lord knows not…'_

'_Either must die at the hands of the other,_

_For neither can live while the other survives…'_

Harry leaned against the head board of his four-poster bed at Hogwarts.

"_Run Lily! Take Harry and go!"_

"_Not Harry! Please not Harry! Kill me instead!"_

He had only been back at Hogwarts for his third year for about a week now, and already things had begun to stir…

As terrifying as the revelation of the prophesy had been, he supposed it wasn't so much of a shock. Sure, he had gone through a bit of denial, because really—him have a power Voldemort knows not? The idea was laughable at best. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Voldemort had not attacked that night because of any real threat from his parents or even from him at that moment. He was only a baby at the time, and no matter how powerful or skilled James and Lily had been, when Voldemort had set his eyes on them specifically even they had needed to go into hiding. No… it was because of the promise of what he might become. What was it Ron said once about chess? Ah yes… A good defense is an effective offense.

Harry sighed and rolled himself out of bed, going to his trunk to pull on his robes for the day and his invisibility cloak. It was now four o'clock in the morning—two hours before the curfew was due to be lifted. But with the dying words of his parents and the haunting words of the prophesy floating through his mind, occlumancy or not, there was no way he was getting anymore sleep this night.

Perhaps he would stop by the library. Though he doubted he'd find the 'Power he knows not' amongst its tomes, it never hurt to prepare. And with his destiny (or doom, depending on how you looked at it) now essentially confirmed, it was time he started his preparations in earnest. Then maybe if he was lucky, he might actually live to see his majority.

And if all went well, perhaps those lessons Dumbledore had mentioned starting between the two of them might help him as well…

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Expelliarmus!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

Success! His conversation with Tom Riddle in the Chamber second year had piqued Harry's curiosity about their many similarities. One of which was the shared cores of their wands. It took much searching through several musty tomes Harry was fairly certain hadn't been touched in decades, but finally he had come across the term—brother wands. And with it came the description of the rare phenomenon known as Priori Incantatem. Apparently, when wands which share the same source for their cores are forced into combat they, for all intents and purposes, 'refuse' to do so (oh the irony!). Instead, Priori Incantatem occurs. While this in no way would help Harry in defeating the mad wizard, it could at least serve as a last line of defense and distraction.

Though, when Lily and James had appeared from Voldemort's wand, he believed this could very well work well in reverse… but he had to get back to Hogwarts. His parents were dead, and unless he could escape he'd be joining them soon.

His heart was pounding as he dashed madly amongst the grave stones. Streaks of light in all hues of color flew past and around him while Voldemort's furious screams echoed through the night. He was almost there, almost there... a pale yellow curse grazed his left arm and he felt it go completely numb—a paralysis curse.

The cup was there… Cedric's body just a little further off… With his left arm completely incapacitated, he'd have to grab everything with his right hand but he had no choice…

With his right hand, he held his wand and grabbed Cedric's dead hand, "Accio Triwizard Cup!"

The cup flew towards him and he grabbed it with his right hand as well. He was barely holding on, but it was enough! He was going to make it!

He felt the pull behind his navel just as a shout rang out, "Avada Kedavra!"

Green flooded his vision and the sound of rushing death like water flowed over him as the portkey lifted off. He felt a jerk in his consciousness as magic warred about him and through him. Pain unlike any he'd ever felt—even the cruciatus curse—wracked his body and he involuntarily let go with his right hand.

And then he was flying, and floating and falling all at once… the last thing he felt before falling into darkness was the harsh feeling of his body hitting solid ground.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Harry became aware of once he had woken was the fact that, despite being fairly certain he had—once again—been hit by Voldemort's killing curse, he was alive.

'Chock another one up to the 'Boy-Who-Lived-Twice.' '

Second, was that he was lying relatively pain-free on a rather uncomfortable pallet on the ground. And while this ruled out Death Eater captivity, it also meant he had not made it back to Hogwarts.

'So apparently I was dropped off somewhere between the graveyard and Hogwarts… hopefully… fantastic…'

Third… there were voices in quiet discussion in the room.

"Are you sure about this Shin? You know what we saw… Damnation, even the Magicians noticed something that night. They've been poking their noses around the slums for the last two days trying to find out what that light was…"

"I have no doubt."

"But you're going to insist anyway… Alright, be it on your head then."

There was the soft opening and closing of a door. Obviously one of the men had just left.

"You can open your eyes now. I'm certainly no Magician, but even I can tell the difference from the breath of a sleeping man and a pretender."

Harry sighed before he blinked his eyes open. It was time to face the dragon.

He was in a dark room lit by two lamps on opposite sides. Actually, 'room' might have been a little generous… by the crates that were stacked next to the walls and the notable lack of windows, it looked more like underground storage space. Considering what he'd just heard in the conversation, it probably was.

The man—Shin, Harry remembered—was a man of medium height and size with a shaved head and pale skin and dark eyes. And though worry wrinkles blemished his face, he had the physical build of someone in their prime, which left Harry quite unsure what the man's age really was. His expression as he surveyed Harry was notably blank; neither hostile nor genial. Overall, Harry didn't know whether he should feel relieved or worried.

"Lets begin with names, shall we?" said Shin as he took a seat in a nearby hard backed chair. "As you may have gotten from the other who was here, I go by the name Shin. What's yours?"

Now this was a dilemma. He'd heard both the men refer to 'Magician's' earlier, but whether they were referring to wizards as Harry new them or to some nearby cult sect wasn't yet clear. And Shin had already mentioned that he wasn't a 'Magician.' So perhaps he was a muggle? Then how did he… or did he…? Too many questions, not enough answers… So first name only, just in case.

"Harry. My name is Harry."

"So you do speak our language, though with a strange accent. I was beginning to wonder. You looked Kyralian, though those eyes certainly aren't."

"Wait—what? Kyralian? What's a Kyralian?" asked Harry.

Shin blinked. And considering the blandness of his face until that moment, it was almost as if he had been struck.

"Do you… know where you are? How could you not know? Even if you were foreign…"

Harry felt his stomach drop. He had assumed he'd just fallen off somewhere in the UK. But even outside the UK, he'd never heard of any people called Kyralian…

"Where… where am I?"

Shin paused as he continued to survey Harry.

"You are in Imardin, capital city of the land of Kyralia. It is to the south and between the countries of Elyne and Sachaka."

Harry was fairly certain he'd stopped breathing.

He might not have been the most observant child during his days in muggle primary school, but there was one thing he knew for certain—

There was no such country as Kyralia, Elyne, or Sachaka on the face of Earth…

Or rather, on the face of _his_ Earth…

"Oh bloody hell…" breathed Harry, his eyes wide.

Shin just continued to observe him.

"But a portkey doesn't… what could have—"

The curse. The Avada Kedavra that should have killed him, but didn't.

He'd never heard of someone being transported to an alternate world via a faulty portkey before, but then again before him no one had ever heard of someone surviving the damn killing curse.

Apparently, the turning points of his life were composed of nothing but impossible feats of magic.

With a sigh, Harry dropped his head into his hands. If he could have, he would have been hitting it against a wall instead.

"Perhaps I should explain the nature of your arrival here two nights ago," said Shin.

Numbly, Harry nodded his head. This really was too much…

"Two nights ago a vivid green light, not unlike the color of your own eyes, struck a back ally in the slums outside the city of Imardin. The light was so bright in the night that it cast a glow over the entire city as it fell. I and two of my associates, one of them the one who you heard here earlier, happened to have just finished with some business in that ally and was about to return when it struck the ground before us. When the light faded, what was left there was you."

Harry swallowed uncomfortably. The light he described sounded suspiciously similar to that of the killing curse, which only solidified Harry's suspicions.

"You were badly wounded and soon guards and even Magicians were likely to show up. Unsure who or what you were, but knowing that such portents were likely very significant, I and my associate decided to bring you back with us. The other with me was not so inclined. There was an altercation. But you need not worry about him anymore. I dealt with the problem quickly."

Harry blinked. Surly the man didn't mean that as it had come across…

"Since then you've been kept here as we treated your wounds."

Harry glanced down at himself. He saw now that both his arm and leg were wrapped snuggly in bandages. Though not as good as magic, it was obvious someone had done a fairly good job patching him up, judging by the significant lessening of pain.

"Your leg wound in particular gave us some trouble. The poison had already begun working its way through your system. Fortunately, you seemed to have something of a resistance to the substance. We managed to find a remedy that seemed to work—it's normally used for particularly poisonous faren bites—but you're likely to still feel the effects for a while."

Harry nodded. Considering it had been an acromantula bite and that it was obvious none of the people involved were wizards, it was impressive that they'd managed to heal him as well as they had.

Speaking of wizards…

"I've heard you mention them a few times now, but I need to confirm… what are Magicians?"

Perhaps it had just been a trick of the light cast by the lamps, but for a moment Shin's eyes seemed to sharpen as he continued to gaze unflinchingly at Harry.

"Magician's are those who have and are able to use magic."

Harry's heart fluttered. Perhaps this world _did_ have wizards! Even if they did go by another name!

"In fact, before this conversation we'd thought it had been the Magician's Guild themselves who had done all that to you."

There was a foreboding feel to those words that Harry hadn't liked. "Why would you think the Magician's had attacked me?"

"Besides falling from the sky in a stream of light that outshone the moon, you mean?" asked Shin with the ghost of a grin as Harry blushed at the obviousness of that fact. "Let's just say that despite the nobility of their blood, they are not known for nobility of action."

Great… so though he had managed to land in a world with magic users, they also just happened to be a bunch of Lucius Malfoy clones… perfect.

"So far I have described events as far as I know them and answered questions as completely as possible. Now," said Shin, leaning forward eagerly, "I believe it is your turn to return the favor. And try not to lie. I'll know if you do."

Immediately Harry threw up his occlumency shields. He'd been a fool to leave them down this whole time. After learning Shin had no magic he'd stupidly assumed it was safe to leave them down. But this was not his world. He had to learn to play by new rules. For all he knew even the muggles here had the ability to use legilimency or something similar.

For a moment Shin seemed mildly shocked. Whether it was because he could in fact see into Harry's mind until that moment, or because of the subtle shifts in demeanor and expression that accompanied, Harry didn't know. But he'd managed to keep Snape out of his head during class for the last two years, he'd be damned if he let in a stranger, Life Debt or no.

Oh damn… and there _was_ a Life Debt, he could tell… but he'd deal with that when he came to it.

"And what would you like to know. As you can probably tell by now, I'm from no where near here."

"I realize you're wary of everything you've heard, but all I've told you is nothing but the truth, you have my word. And at this moment that's more than many others would even consider giving you," said Shin. "For now, I'm your best bet. And before I choose to help you further I need to know who—and what—I'm dealing with."

Suddenly, the truth of his situation came crashing in on Harry. He was in an unknown world, with only an unknown man called Shin who seemed to be a bit of a shady character to help him. Hell, he didn't even know if he had his wand with him here! He'd faced down deathly situations seven times in the last 4 years—four of those times against Voldemort himself in various forms—but this perhaps was the worst situation he'd ever managed to find himself in. There were no friends or mentors to come to his aid in the nick of time here—he was truly alone.

Despite the overflowing feelings of fear and despair that threatened to overtake him, he kept his shields up, blocking them behind a dam. He'd deal with them later.

For now, he had questions to answer.

"My name is Harry—that is _who_ I am. And I come from another world, one where this place—Kyralia and those other lands you mentioned—do not exist. In my world we also have magic users like your magicians, but they go by the term wizard, or witch if they're female. That is _what_ I am. I'm a wizard."

For the first time this night Harry saw a smile stretch itself across Shin's face, and he found that he wasn't sure whether this should comfort him… or make him that much more afraid.

"Perfect," said Shin.

That one word response did nothing to appease Harry's unease.

"How did you come to be as injured as you were?"

Harry paused before answering. How much did he really want to tell this man? Just because he was the only one Harry could trust so far didn't mean he _should_ trust him.

"Before I came here I was involved in a school tournament of sorts. It was highly dangerous."

"Really, who won?"

The memory of Cedric threatened to choke him up, but he pushed it aside.

"I did."

Now Shin's eyes were glittered.

"And how did you end up here? I take it was not on purpose?"

"No. It wasn't. There's an evil wizard where I come from who has a bit of a grudge against me. He made another attempt on my life—"

"Not the first time then?"

"No. There have been several attempts."

"And you've gotten away each time."

"Yes."

"Intriguing…" said Shin as he leaned back. "Continue."

"As I said, he tried to kill me. Again. And I escaped—again. But there was an accident when the magic of the object I was using to escape clashed with a curse he cast. As far as I can figure, that must have been what caused me to be thrown from my world. The light you described sounds similar to the light of the spell he cast."

"And what is the likelihood of someone from your world arriving here to take you back?"

Harry had to swallow past the knot that had lodged itself in his throat before he could answer.

"Somewhere between improbable… and impossible, leaning towards the latter."

Through all of this, Shin continued to smile.

"Can you still use your magic? Or has it been damaged?"

Harry closed his eyes and calmed his mind. He wasn't particularly adept yet at manipulating raw magic, but after he'd been practicing his occlumency for a while he'd begun to be able to feel the hum and tingle of the magic beneath his skin.

At first he could feel nothing. There was no tingle or hum… he began to worry…

There! It was vague and much softer than he was used to but he could feel a steady pulse from his magic… he was weakened from his ordeal, but eventually it would recharge itself.

"It's still there. But whether I can still use it or not depends… was there a stick about this long with me when I was found?"

"No, there was only you and the clothes on your back. Why?"

"In my world, wizards use wands with a magical core to focus, concentrate and channel their magic. I take it that's not the case here?"

"No indeed. All the magicians I've seen have only needed to motion with their hands and their minds to accomplish their deeds."

Harry sat in slight shock. An entire group of magic users capable of wandless magic… it was an incredible thought.

"Do you think perhaps you could learn to harness your power in the same way?" asked Shin.

"I don't know. Other than accidental burst of magic when I'm angry and a couple level 1 spells, I've never been able to have an effect… but since I have little choice now, I intend to try."

Again Shin smiled at him, "That's what I was hoping to hear."

"Why?" Harry asked warily.

Shin stood and began to pace. "Let me explain the nature of things involving our own magic users. The Magician's Guild is the sole holder of the knowledge of magic. If you wish to learn magic, or to even be able to use it, it first has to be unlocked from within you. Only the Guild has the knowledge and power to do so. In order for you to be able to learn from them, first you must pay for the opportunity. The fee is a steep one. Thus, only the _privileged_ of our society are given the opportunity. Rich merchants, aristocrats, and nobility—the common man is unwelcome. They scorn us. They are sworn to aid and protect all, but for as far back as any can remember they've only been concerned with one thing—themselves.

Our streets over run with pain and disease, but they refuse to touch any lower in class than a merchant. Every winter they aid the guard in Purging the lower class from inside the city walls. They are cold and corrupt. _That_ is our Magicians."

Harry kept his face blank. He could sympathize with Shin's anger towards the apathy of the Magicians. And he could see what he was leading into…

"However, you… you are different. You are not like them. You don't have their taint. _You_ could make a difference…"

"I understand what you're trying to do, but I think you're overestimating my capabilities. I can't feed the hungry and heal the wounded. I can't conjure or transmute gold and I can't raise the dead. Hell, I can't even cast a cleaning charm! The only wandless magic I can do is a levitation charm, an unlocking spell, a light spell and my mind magics! None of that is useful to you—"

"Unlocking spell, huh? And what kind of mind magics?"

Shin's voice had taken on a dark velvety quality, like a spider talking a fly into the web.

Harry didn't like it one bit.

"Why would you need to know?"

Shin's smile continued, and Harry finally noticed why it left him with such an unsettled feeling. As wide as the smile was, it didn't reach his eyes.

"Because Harry, as meager as they may be, I very much could make use of such abilities. And who knows, maybe you just need a little practice with the rest of it. Now what mind magics do you possess?"

Harry's heart began to race. This was bad… he had thought Shin seemed a little shady, but he finally thought he understood exactly what kind of people had found him that night. He had to get away, now!

"Oh no you don't!"

Before Harry could do more than make a dash in the direction of the door, Shin had grabbed him and flung him against the wall, holding him against it by the throat.

"First rule of this world boy, the Thieves don't take kindly to squimps and debt runners! And oh, do you oh me a debt, boy… and I fully intend to call it due…"

'NO!' yelled Harry in his mind as he began to feel his magic hum after the man's words. If the man called the debt due—!

"What exactly did you think to accomplish by running, hm? How far did you think you'd get? The tunnels outside this room are a labyrinth! You'd be lost for days, and we'd find you sooner than that! Now, I don't think you fully appreciate what I'm _offering_ you. I will train you myself—protect you from the other Thieves—and keep you off the street. In return, you work for me. You use those lovely _skills_ of yours for me. _That_ is how you'll repay me. If you refuse to do that, I'll get me repayment in other ways… With such a fair face and lovely green eyes, I'm sure one of the parlors around here would pay a pretty coin to use you for _their_ services…"

Harry's eyes widened at the man's implications.

"So make your choice boy! Work for me, or work the _streets_ for me!"

The tingling sensation of his magic grew to an incessant burn. This was it—the Debt called due.

And what choice did he really have?

"I'll work for you! I'll work for you…"

"Good boy," said Shin as he pulled away from Harry, allowing him to drop down and droop against the wall limply, gasping for breath.

"Now let's try this again—what kind of magic of the mind do you possess?"

The burn reappeared under his skin, compelling him to answer.

"I can scan another person's surface thoughts; if their mind is particularly weak I can glimpse their memories… If I could cast the spell that accompanies the skill I could delve further. I can usually tell when someone is lying. I can block my own thoughts from others who have this skill. And…" Harry bit his tongue.

"And what?"

'No, damn it! I can't tell him that!'

"What else is there, Harry? Speak!"

"Sometimes… I can influence their thoughts… Sometimes, I can compel them to react as I want or need…" Harry admitted grudgingly, truly hating himself for the skill he had inadvertently discovered in the last year.

"…really?"

"Yes."

"And the unlocking spell… will it work on any lock?"

"Unless the lock is guarded against magical manipulation, then it should."

"Excellent," said Shin, standing and pacing a bit in the center of the room, a smile spread over his lips. Eventually he stopped and turned back to Harry. "You'll stay here tonight, tomorrow I'll have you moved closer to my place. Rest up, for your training starts tomorrow." He turned to the door to leave but paused as he grasped the handle, "And don't bother trying to escape. There's going to be guards on this door all night, I will be most… _displeased_ if I find you tried to run away during the night. And trust me, you won't enjoy the punishment nearly as much as I will." Shin leered in his direction before finally leaving out the door and into the dark tunnels beyond.

As he heard the door shut, the tremors Harry had been trying to hide finally caused him to fall gracelessly to the floor. Then he curled up against the wall and for the first time in ages, he cried.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: When I posted the first couple chapters, this one was halfway done. Hit a bit of inspiration for just how to finish off the chapter so here's the update on it (don't expect most updates to be this prompt… it was mostly fluke and circumstance XD )

In response to a question on the Life Debt… within this story I work under the idea that Life Debts can be called in like any other debt, but a Life Debt is bound with magic, just like an Unbreakable Oath. The wizard is bound by the terms of the debt until magic deems the debt paid or until such time as the person owing the debt pays it in full (saves the person's life). I'm perfectly aware that this isn't how it works in canon (though Life Debts are not a fully explored aspect of the story, so there's really no telling the specifics on how they work), but in the context of this story, the way that Snape and Pettigrew got away with all their shenanigans without suffering consequences (silver suicide hand not withstanding as it hasn't occurred yet in this) is because the debts weren't called in. I don't think my Harry would use up such a trump card on Pettigrew if he honestly thought he could get away from the graveyard. Having Pettigrew be unable to kill him would seem to be the more useful use of the debt at the time.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Hai, Hebi! You and your Shadow are to go and deliver this to the Bold Knife! And keep an eye out this time, will ya? Don't want anyone to try and snatch you up!"

"Hai, Brono. I'll be back in a few."

Harry took the paper message and turned towards the wall with the hidden door that led out to the Thieves' Road. Behind him he could feel the nameless Shadow follow in his wake. As he stepped out into the pitch darkness of the tunnels he didn't even bother to cast a light before heading in the direction of the Bold Knife pub. Less than a week after he'd arrived here he'd been blind folded and taught to find his way around the tunnels by hand and counts alone. Now after three years, guiding his way around the Road was almost as second nature to him as breathing.

Three years. It had been three years since he'd come to this world. Three years of knives, a stiff drink called bol, dark tunnels, and darker plots.

But all things considered, his lot in life could have been much worse. Despite the rather poor first impression Shin had made on Harry, overall the man seemed to be rather fair handed. Better by far than some of the other Thieves Harry had the displeasure of meeting on occasion. Certainly the man was a bastard, and several of the other Thieves reported he had a borderline unhealthy obsession with the young mage, but at least he wasn't homeless or working the streets (though it had been threatened a couple times. But they both knew it would never happen—that would mean he would have to share. And Shin didn't share with _anyone)_.

"Hebi! Long time no see!" said the bartender as they approached the bar in the Bold Knife.

Hebi. His name amongst Thieves. Only a couple people knew his real name, and they were forbidden to speak it, as he was forbidden to speak theirs. Apparently most thieves took on a second name, usually one associated with an animal of some kind. Shin had decided to name him Hebi. When he'd asked what it meant, Shin had explained it was a blood red serpent with vivid green stripes running the length of its body that while small held the strongest venom of the serpents native to Kyralia. Neither the irony nor the coincidence of the situation was lost on Harry.

Harry gave a strained smile as he shook the bartender's hand, leaving the message in his palm as he did so. He knew what was on the paper, just not who. He'd learned long ago it was better not to look.

Harry figured it probably had to do with his old habit of running to save the day. In all honesty, most of the people the Thieves had sent 'messengers' to that he knew of had deserved what was coming to them. In fact, on many occasions he'd been the one hired to do the 'visiting.' He had but one rule that even Shin knew not to cross—no women, and no children.

As he and his Shadow sat at the bar and ordered a bol for appearances sake Harry took a look around the room. Other than he and the Shadow, there were 5 other Thieves that he knew of. Likely one of them was going to be the one to receive the name he'd just passed off to the tender. Harry sighed as he turned back around and looked into the dark drink before him, his reflection gazing back at him from tired green eyes.

He'd always been naturally pale, even during the summers when he spent nearly all his time outdoors either gardening or at the park escaping Dudley and his gang; but now with his almost nocturnal lifestyle the paleness had taken on a nearly Malfoy-esque quality and level of permanence. His hair had grown out quite a bit. Enough so that he now could pull it back with a tie if he wanted to. While the added length and weight managed to keep it from sticking up in odd directions like it used to, it still managed to look disheveled in a way Ron might have described as a 'recently shagged' look, which did nothing to squelch the rumors the Thieves liked to throw out there about he and Shin from time to time.

Fortunately, that's all there was to it—rumors. Oh he wasn't fooled, he knew of Shin's other inclinations towards him. He occasionally wondered if the man hadn't hoped he'd take the other track back when he had been given a choice of _services_ to him. But he'd made his choice and the man could add no more stipulations to their agreement, thank god. So no, Shin couldn't have his way with him… but he could damn well make sure no one else did.

Harry sent a sideways glance at his Shadow and gave a small sigh. The Shadows served as both his watchers and his guardians. Shin of course trusted nobody, and for good reason. As far as he knew, Harry was plenty capable of trying to run away. And in fact Harry would have bolted at the first chance he got if it weren't for the damn Debt, but he'd never actually explained the true depth of the debt to Shin out of fear of what the man would have tried to make him do. As long as he believed Harry had some measure of free will, he would continue to tread carefully on what exactly he required of him. Therefore, Harry took the good with the bad and acquiesced to being chaperoned at all times. It also didn't help that, no matter what reasons were behind it, Shin was attached to Harry. So needless to say, when someone had attempted to abduct Harry a few months after he'd arrived, Shin had not taken kindly to it. Harry was fairly certain it was that man's body that was found floating in the marina three days later. It had happened several times over the first year and a half until finally Shin decided to make a public spectacle out of the body of the next person who tried. Word got around quick, and soon all attempts to approach the small fair faced new boy were stopped.

And thus were born the Shadows—Harry's personal guard.

Speaking of which, a tap on his arm warned Harry it was time for them to go.

"Don't be a stranger!" cried the bar keep as they walked back out the door. A couple other voices from within echoed the tender while a few others muttered insults at his retreating back. Harry just waved vaguely back over his shoulder in farewell.

He wasn't sure how or when it happened, but somehow at sometime he'd become well known by the local populace. Even with all the hubbub that went on amongst Thieves, he was certain he shouldn't be _this_ well recognized. Shin said it was because, despite his clothes, he looked like an aristocrat. Harry thought it was just his rotten luck crossing over from home.

"Hebi! Wait up!"

Harry turned and saw a young boy running in his direction. Despite his general ill will for the day so far, he couldn't help but smile. Ceryni was several years younger than him, around 11 or 12 if he were to guess, and was the son of a former Thief. Harry's smile faltered for a moment as he remembered the man's unfortunate fate.

Shin had not lied about rule number one—never cross the Thieves.

In but a moment Harry had been nearly plowed over in the boy's excitement.

"I haven't seen you in ages! Where have you been?"

"You know how things are… work comes first," said Harry.

Ceryni nodded solemnly. Despite the fact that they had killed his father, Cery still held a high respect for the Thieves, which at first had shocked Harry near senseless and left him contemplative for many days after.

"Are you free right now? There's a new girl who moved in next door I want you to meet! Her name's Sonea and she's really great, especially for a girl! She can even scrap with Harrin!"

Harry glanced back at his silent guard in question, but the Shadow shook his head. With a sigh Harry turned back to Cery, "I'm sorry Cery… guess they've got something else for me to do today. But I'll be sure to stop by soon and you can introduce us then, alright?" Harry said, ruffling the boy's hair with a smile.

"Hebi!" complained Cery as he tried to fix his hair. "I'll hold you too that! And you know why!"

Harry laughed as he walked away…

Indeed he knew why… whatever else that could be said about them, good or bad a Thief _always_ kept their word.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"About time you showed back up."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, because it's not suspicious at all if someone walks into that pub, hands the bar keep a note and walks right back out without so much as a drink. All things considered, I made good time."

"Not all things considered. Some things have come up today, and we may need your…_expertise_," said Shin.

Harry quieted at that. No one other than Shin knew of Harry's magic. All that the others knew was that Hebi had _talents_. Have a deadbolt you need unlocked? Get Hebi. Suspect someone of squimping on you? Ask Hebi. Need to convince someone to separate themselves from their valued possessions? Hebi's your man.

The last one was so well known that it had earned him a third name amongst the Thieves—the Silver Tongued Serpent.

"What's going on?" asked Harry warily.

"We've been had," said Shin. "Some former clients of ours backed out on a deal. We have one of them, but he's not talking. We need to hunt down the other two before they jump ship, as it were."

Harry nodded. "Very well, where is he?"

"Down the right 30 paces, left 15."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"I'm not telling nuthin', ya hear!"

Harry had just arrived, Shadow in tote though remaining outside for the duration of the interrogation.

The man was obviously Kyralian judging by his coloring, but he had a bit more color to his skin than the average citizen of Imardin. That combined with Shin's off hand statement led Harry to believe this man was likely a ship crewman.

"Torture me all ya want, ya greedy bastards still won' get nuthin'!"

'How to go about this…' thought Harry as he circled the man from the shadows. 'Lets try the gentle approach first and see where it takes us…'

Harry finally stepped forward into the light of the lamp with a soft smile as he knelt down in front of the man tied to a chair, so as to be on eye level with him.

"Hello sir, how are you this afternoon?"

Instead of responding, the man's eyes grew cold and he begun to chew on his tongue.

That was all well and good as long as he kept his eyes open.

"I'm sorry if you've been treated unfairly down here while you've waited—"

The man snorted. Harry couldn't even fault him for it. They both knew it was a load of bull.

"Alright, I'll be straight with you—"

"I doubt you could be if you tried."

Harry paused. Slowly he felt his rage building inside, but he pushed it away behind his barriers.

"If you don't give them the information they seek, you are most certainly dead."

"I was dead the moment they captured me, princess."

"No you were dead the moment you decided to squimp," said Harry said, voice chilling, his green eyes eerie in the off light.

The man shivered.

"I'm going to give you a choice. Either you give me the answers I seek easily, or I take them from you the hard way."

"I'd like to see you try," growled the man.

"Alright then, terror or blunt force?"

The man gave him a strange look. Harry sighed and stood.

"You're too thick and stubborn. Blunt force would take too much effort and leave me with a migraine. Therefore… terror it is."

The light in the single lamp went out.

Five minutes later the screams began.

Three minutes after that Harry left the room with a sigh and began the short trek back to the room Shin was last occupying, task complete.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Both are in the west quarter near the marina. He didn't know the name of the buildings, but I know the directions."

"Good. It's almost sundown now, we'll leave after then," said Shin.

"While we're waiting I'm going to go have a lie down."

Shin nodded and turned back to his work.

As Harry closed the door to the next room over behind him he leaned against it and closed his eyes, trying to steady his mind.

He hated it. He absolutely _hated_ that he could do that. When he'd first learned about mind magic and the things it could do all those years ago he'd been fascinated by it, and he'd set out to learn all he could of it, even the darker aspects. Hermione had been a bit more wary of such uses, but had agreed that learning them on an academic basis would be alright.

Academic indeed.

Harry collapsed onto the pallet and stretched out, throwing his arm over his eyes.

If he'd known then what he'd be forced to do with such knowledge… would he have taught himself still? Back then, was his curiosity—his absolute need to know about the cause of his parents' death—heavier or at least equal to the guilt and responsibility he held now?

Snape would almost be proud, of that Harry was certain. Either proud… or mildly horrified.

'Oh how the Golden Boy has fallen,' thought Harry in a suspiciously Snape-like voice, dripping with sarcasm. He couldn't help but chuckle a little.

And oh he had fallen… he hadn't realized how far gone he really was until the day Cery had chastised him for verbally denouncing the Thieves for Ceryni's father's death.

"_My father made a choice! He made a bad decision! He knew the danger when he joined the Thieves and he knew the chance he was taking when he decided to squimp. My father didn't die because of hate, he died on principle. Besides, when it comes down to it, they didn't betray him… he betrayed them."_

The boy's argument in defense of the killers was so… bloody logical it had shaken the very foundations of Harry's perspective, because in the end it did in fact make perfect sense to him. Accepting this meant accepting that he had changed since arriving here, and meant he needed to reevaluate everything… leaving him to think and consider…

And after much thought he had come to a realization—

He could not hate Voldemort for the death of his parents. Pettigrew absolutely, being the traitorous bastard he was. But Voldemort… Morality be damned, the truth is war is hell. One enemy kills the other until one side claims victory. That's a fact of life.

Even though he'd been but a baby at the time, he had become a perceived threat to their war effort. In order to actively combat the threat, it was decided to take out the possibility before it could become one.

A strategic mistake on their part, and an action he personally would not approve of, but the logic had been sound.

Did that mean Harry intended to step aside if he someday returned to his world? Hell no! The man was off his immortal rocker and needed to be dealt with once and for all. Prophesy or not, Harry intended to use every power at his disposal to bring an end to Tom Riddle's madness. For everyone's sake… even the Dark Lord's.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"_Come at me."_

_Harry hesitated a moment too long and next thing he knew he was lying face first on the ground._

"_Never hesitate or they'll have already retrieved their dagger back from your gullet before you could blink."_

_Harry groaned as he rose back up to his feet, brushing off his breeches. Despite having had these training sessions for almost 5 months now he still tended to hesitate before he attacked. He knew it was foolish. All it did was earn him a bruise on his backside as he landed on his ass. Besides, it wasn't like he would really hurt the man across from him even if he did land a hit. Shin may have only been of medium build, but every inch of him was pure muscle. Meanwhile, Harry with his slim seeker build had quickly come to the realization that despite his quidditch training, he was terribly out of shape overall. The only thing that had been up to par when Shin had tested him was his speed and reflexes, which he'd said were top rate._

"_Harry, you continue to hesitate. Why?" asked Shin. When the man had used his given name Harry knew he was about to receive a lecture. Simultaneously Harry had to dodge and duck as Shin continued with his assault. Apparently this was going to be what Shin called 'a lesson against distraction.' Harry just called it multi-tasking._

"_With your emphasis on lethal force is it any wonder I hesitate? Perhaps I'm just not comfortable with the idea of taking a life." He blocked a punch and threw a succession of kicks as a follow up, forcing Shin back. "Ever consider that?" _

"_Better to stand and be judged than to be laid to rest," said Shin, catching a punch thrown by Harry and twisting it painfully behind his back. "Half the people out in those streets would gut you just for a little spare coin. That or worse. Between that and your knack to find trouble—don't give me that look, you've told me the stories—it is an absolute necessity for you to be able to deal with any threats quickly and effectively."_

"_I don't go looking for trouble—it finds me."_

"_And I don't expect you to start trouble unless I order you to, but even if you aren't the one who starts it I damn well expect you to be the one to finish it! And if you can not or will not defend yourself, you are putting yourself and thus __**my**__ property at risk, and I will have none of that!" He released Harry's arm and threw him away, giving the mage a moment to catch himself from stumbling before launching another attack._

'_**His property…'**_

_Harry felt a deadened feeling consume him as he digested those words. They rang of truth—here in this place, under these circumstances, he was naught more than a possession to be used at the other's whim…_

_But when it came down to it, was it really all that much different than what he was before? Shin intended to use him as a weapon against his enemies, the same as Dumbledore. The only thing that had changed was the hand that held his leash. At least Shin intended to train him up properly before setting him off on the world. Harry dodged an open palm swipe at his face._

"_Pay attention! Focus!"_

_Harry sprung back, flicking a knife into his hand. It was time to up the ante._

_In two seconds Shin had his own knife and the two clashed. With the combined force between the two, Harry was surprised sparks didn't fly. Harry glared into Shin's eyes, glimpsing satisfaction within the man's mind. Harry may hesitate, but once his mind was set, he was a force to be reckoned with and they both knew it. This aspect of Harry was what Shin was attempting to draw out._

_The two continued to circle one another, occasionally making a swipe and cut when they thought the other had left an opening unattended. Harry had found that knives were the one mode of fighting he could use and be at an advantage. Knives were light and quick—like him—and were easier to work into the style of dueling he was accustomed to. He had forced himself to be able to use a knife almost equally as well with both his left and his right hands so that, should he ever manage to control his magic or find his wand, he would be able to use both at once._

_Not that he was ever going to find his wand stuck down in these damn passages…_

_Well, no time like the present to experiment with some thoughts he'd had concerning his magic. In the past his volatile emotions had sometimes caused his magic to spring to his will, causing some rather impressive cases of accidental magic. If he could learn to instigate such reactions and harness that power…_

_He switched the blade to his left hand, feinting a swipe to Shin's right side, causing the man to open himself just briefly, long enough for Harry to lunge in with his right palm forward—_

"_**Your parents were useless, drunk layabouts, Boy!"**_

"_**Undoubtedly as arrogant as your contemptible father…"**_

"_**You'll see your worthless mudblood mother soon…"**_

"_**You can not escape this destiny, my boy. It is your duty—"**_

"_EXPELLIARMUS!"_

_Harry felt as the magic pooled in his palm then burst forward in a flash of blue light to collide with Shin's chest. For a moment the man stared wide-eyed before he was thrown away and across the room to crash into the opposing wall. As Shin slid down into a heap on the floor Harry had a moment of déjà vu as he remembered Professor Snape in a similar state after taking three spells from Harry and his friends. But in this case, it had been Harry alone to cause such damage._

_Harry's eyes widened in horror at that thoughts and he quickly ran over to check the man's vitals. How much damage had he done? If Shin died by his hand, even on accident, the result for him would be catastrophic._

_Fortunately he felt a strong pulse. Shin was just knocked out._

_As relief flooded Harry, so did a round of vertigo and he had to sit down quickly to keep from falling. Apparently he'd put a little too much into that spell. His benefactor was knocked out cold and the sudden drain on his magic had left him light headed. Also, the negative focus in the use of the spell had left him with a cold and hollow feeling within his chest. If such anger and pain was what was necessary to use his magic in this world, Shin's plans be damned, he'd just do without it._

_So the question was… what did he do now?_

_If he'd had his wand, a quick enervate would have done the trick. As it was, Shin would want him to sit and wait for him to wake._

'_**His property…'**_

_A dim spark of defiance lit itself within Harry. He could sit and wait for Shin to come around and decide to take a lashing into the wizard for his unexpected magical assault… or he could use these precious moments to escape and take a look at the surface. He had seen neither sunlight nor starlight since his arrival several months back and he was itching to breathe a little fresh air again. Besides, as long as he didn't wander far and stayed to the shadows he'd be fine._

_He stood slowly, shaking off the last vestiges of the vertigo that had gripped him moments ago, before quietly slipping out the door and toward the nearest exit off the Road._

_0-0-0-0-0-0_

_It was dark out as Harry stepped through a loose grate in a wall and found himself in a small alley between two buildings. Slowly he walked to the end of the alley to get his first look at the world he had landed himself in._

_His first impression of the area was that it was rather dirty. Most of the buildings around him were shabby and shoddily built at best and a haze of dust floated from the dirt road as people passed by in the crowd. Beyond everything was a wall and beyond it were what appeared to be mansions and a palace. Obviously the area Harry found himself in was the slums of Imardin, the home of Thieves and 'dwells' as the lower class were referred to. Not that Harry minded, of course. If he'd popped out of the wall of somewhere high class it would have been problematic to say the least._

_Harry took a deep breath. Despite the dust and the tinge of something unpleasant in the air, it was wonderful to feel the breeze on his face and see stars above him in the sky. The night held a crisp chill that had Harry pulling his jacket closed against the wind, but overall it seemed like a nice night in fall. Not wanting to waste a moment of his stolen time and worried that Shin would wake at any moment and send someone after him, Harry quickly left the alley and headed out onto the main road. _

_Everywhere there were people milling about, coming and going between the night and the fire lit buildings and homes. A little ways down raucous laughter and song floated out from a brightly lit establishment—undoubtedly the local pub, or bolhouse as Shin called it. Harry bit his lip, wanting to investigate but knowing from Shin just how dangerous some of the local places could be. And he only had a couple coins he had found along the passages during his underground travels._

_Harry sighed as he moved his steps in the direction of the pub, pulling up his hood as he went. In for a penny, in for a pound…_

_The inside was just as grimy as the outside had looked, but the air was warm and the atmosphere was light, and the promise of conversation outside of Shin was just too much for Harry to pass up._

"_Hey there lad! What can I get ya? You are a paying customer, right?" the barkeep asked, giving him a slightly suspicious look._

"_Yes, so long as I have enough to pay. What will this get me?" Harry asked, pulling out a coin and laying it on the bar._

"_That there will get you a couple mugs of our slum famous bol. Drink up lad."_

_A wooden mug of dark liquid was placed in front of Harry. He took a hesitant first sip and immediately broke into a fit of coughs as the afterburn got the better of him._

"_First time drinking, boy?" laughed the barkeep and a couple others sitting nearby._

"_Err—yeah… that obvious?"_

"_Just a tad… not from around here are ya?"_

"_Came into the area a little while ago. Haven't had much of a chance to get out. Thought I'd stop by and try the local fare."_

"_You've come to the right place, lad. Won't find any better grub or bol in the slums than that at the Bold Knife. Where you from? I don't recognize the accent and you look a bit out of place…"_

"_Eh... You wouldn't have heard of it. It's a ways away from here. I'm only here by accident, really."_

"_Well, welcome to the area. Mind you, not sure how good a fortune it is to find yourself here. Imardin slums aren't the best place to find employment."_

"_I'm not too worried about that. I've already managed to land myself in the middle of something."_

"_If it doesn't work out, you could always come and work for me," said a man to Harry's left with a leer that made his skin crawl._

"_Err… I think I'll be fine, thanks," said Harry uneasily. The looks some of the others at the bar were sending the man gave Harry no reassurances._

"_Now don't be like that, it's an honest job—"_

"_Well there's only so much lying they can try, ain't there? A whore is a whore, after all…" said a man further down._

"_Leave the boy alone, Jeb. I'll not have you propositioning kids right in front of me in my bolhouse," said the barkeep with a frown. "What you do in your place is your own business, but I don't want you running off my customers, ya hear?"_

"_Whatever, just givin' the boy options is all. I'll be on my way. The bol here has turned sour," said Jeb, throwing down a couple coins on the bar before he turned to leave, casting one last stare at Harry as he left._

"_Don't mind him. He's a pile of scum, but he's nowhere near the worst of the lot you'll find here," said a man to his right. "Now the Thieves Guild, thems the ones you need to look out for. Keep your nose clean and stay out of their business and you'll do just fine."_

_Harry gulped down a swallow of bol nervously, only slightly coughing at the taste this time. Stay clear of the Thieves… it was a little too late for that._

_Though he'd paid enough for two mugs of bol, he knew better and stuck to only the one. He still needed to find his way back through the tunnels later (if Shin didn't come knock him out and drag him back before then), and the idea of wandering the slums drunk just didn't seem like a good idea. So after he finished his drink he waved off the offer of another and bid his goodnights to his fellows at the bar before wandering back out into the night._

_In the time he had been in the bolhouse most of the traffic wandering the street had cleared out, giving the area a cold and abandoned feeling that had Harry checking behind him every few paces, thinking that perhaps he should consider heading back to Shin's place now…_

_He had only wandered a couple blocks and was about to trace his steps back to the hole in the wall he had come from earlier when a muffled scream came from a side street nearby. Either because of instinct or habit he quickly ran in that direction with no thought to what sort of danger he was running towards._

_When he got there it was to see a familiar face forcefully griping a small girl with dark hair, holding her pressed against a wall. And though the girl looked to be giving it a fair go at fighting the man off, she was a very small girl and he was a much larger man with a knife._

"_You're not who I'd like tonight, but with that hair and those eyes, you'll make do," said Jeb with a lecherous snarl._

_Harry didn't think twice. In a moment he had pulled out his own knife he had kept since the sparing earlier, sprinted across the small distance and wrenched the armed hand back before stabbing his own blade through the man's back. Jeb's eyes widened as he fell back away from the girl._

"_What— You—"_

_He fell to the ground, his words turning to gurgles as the blood began to flood his lungs, and then he was gone._

_Harry stared at the body in shock. All of that fretting during the spars with Shin, all his talk of not knowing if he could bring himself to deliver a killing blow, and on his first night out he has another kill to add to his body count._

_Crying off to his side drew his attention back to the young girl who lay curled up on the ground in tears. He knelt in front of her and slowly touched her head where he knew Jeb had hit her against the wall. _

"_Are you all right?"_

_Next thing he knew he had an armful of crying girl and all he could do was sit there as she got the terror out of her system. _

_Once she had calmed down he let go of her and walked back over to the body, giving it a forceful shove as he pulled the blade from the back. For a moment the girl gave him a terrified look, obviously thinking that she wasn't quite as safe as she thought, but all Harry did was wipe the blade clean on his clothes before handing the knife handle first towards the girl._

"_Go on, take it."_

_Hesitantly she reached out and took it from his hand, before looking at him in question._

"_Murder is wrong, but defending your life is not. When a time comes that someone tries to harm you or the ones you love, don't hesitate."_

_She gave him a long look before finally she nodded._

"_Can you make it home from here?"_

"_Yes, it's just on the next block. I was on my way home from work when…" she looked over at the body._

"_Alright, you go on ahead then," said Harry, pulling her up as he stood._

"_Thank you," she said before she quickly dashed out of the alley and down the street._

_Clapping echoed from shadows further down the alley. Harry spun around to see Shin standing there with a smile._

"_I knew you had it in you."_

_0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0_

"Hebi!"

Harry jolted awake. He couldn't even remember when exactly he had begun to doze off.

"I'm awake, what's wrong?"

"Shin says it's time to move out. We're going to pay a couple squimps a house call."

Harry sighed as he swung his legs off his bed and sat up. Time to go and do what he did best.

And just how sad was that?


End file.
